The present invention generally relates to an automatic toll ticketing system. More specifically, the present invention relates to an automatic toll ticketing system for roadway use by vehicles including on-board equipment having a communication means, a vehicle transceiver and an electronic purse in the form of a processor card, or what is referred to as a "smart card." The automatic toll ticketing system has toll stations arranged at the roadways that implement a data exchange with at least one wireless communications equipment attached to or over the roadway which debit a use fee while preserving the anonymity of the vehicle user.
Toll ticketing systems for roadway use are generally known, particularly systems that are referred to as "closed systems." Toll ticketing systems are increasingly gaining in significance because distance-related roadway use fees are being increasingly demanded by many traffic and environmental engineers. Introduction into countries of such toll ticketing systems that were previously toll-free, however, encounters many difficulties. Only automatic toll ticketing systems that do not impede the flow of traffic and that can be economically erected and operated on the existing road network are considered for high-use roadway networks.
One example of a toll ticketing system is described in German patent 38 33 716 C2 which discloses an automatic roadway toll collecting unit wherein an IS card is employed as a recording medium for collecting tolls based on a bank account of a roadway user. A significant disadvantage of this known automatic collecting unit is that the owner or driver of the vehicle does not remain anonymous. It is also disadvantageous that the collecting of the roadway toll is only possible given stationary vehicles in a toll lane provided for this purpose.
An exact localization of the vehicle which is to pay its roadway toll at the moment is required for toll ticketing in flowing, multi-lane traffic. European Patent Application No. 413 948-A1 discloses a system for automatic data transmission, preferably for the automatic payment of roadway tolls, i.e. wirelessly. To this end, an optical system that images optical absorption areas specifically aligned onto respective lanes is implemented for the data transmission for this purpose. This type of optical system requires a complicated structural fashioning and is not suitable for fast and extensive data traffic because of the comparatively short contact time as a result thereof.